Baker&#39;s proportionate flour feeder and mixer



APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, |920- Patented July 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

lill/1111111111111 El BAKERS PROPQRTIONATE FLOUR FEEDER AND MIXER. APPLICATION FILEDA DEC. 4, |920- 1383798. Patented July 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

l ,20 el 20 Z3 ,e3 25 2 /7 0 /7 .Y ,22 /3 1| Ir /8 l i 5 l I l NPP l EUGENE GAsE, or SAGINAW', MICHIGAN, As'sIGNoE To BAEEE-PERKINS` vMANU-Faely l Y y TUEING CORPORATION, 0E SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

EAKEEs riaoPoETIoNA'rE ELoUE FEEDER AND MIXER.

Specification of Lettersatent., t vfaijntedilu'ly 5,

Appiication niedfriiecmber 41920.: serial NQ. 428,33i

To all whom t may concern.' I

Be it known that I, EUGENE GAsE, a citizen of the United States, residing atvSaginaw, in the county-of Saginaw and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bakers Proportionate Flour Feeders and Mixers, of which the following is a` specification. i

In most large -bakeries and many similar industrial establishments very vlarge quantities of different. kinds yof powdery Vmateria-ls as flour, chemicals, pigments, etc., are daily proportioned, that is weighed or measured in the proportionate .quantities necessary for a process, and thenmiXed which operations require a great' amount of labor, supervision and time and machinery spreading over a considerableV spaceand usually two floors. invention relates to improvements in apparatus lused )for lthis purpose and has for its object to make the operation automatic and Vmore' effective, andv thus to save labor, supervision and time, and to confine it to the same-fioorand toas small a space as possible. 1 4 n i To this end I divide a wide and low-hopper, resting on the floor of the workroom, by adjustable partition walls into as'vmany compartments as there -are materials to be proportioned, and constructits bottom of a. series of horizontal rollers extending vertically to the partition walls throughout the whole width of the hopper. Theoutletof the latter is situated above the last rollerY at one side, andits height and size and thereby the quantity of materials delivered ffrom the hopper yare regulated b means offan adjustable shutter. The rol ers the axes of whichrare placed vin one and the'same plane, either horizontal or slightly inclining toward the outlet, are slowly rotated in the direction of the latter. After the different compartments have been dul adjusted 'and charged, the materials-'different in eachV one-will then be carried away through the outlet in a broad -completely even and at all points equally high layer and thus proportioned as required, ,the action of the rollers ,'equalizing the amount oft-he delivery `from the compartments, Amay all be equallyV illed or not, and may each one kbencompletely or partly charged.V Thel stream of proportioned materials which leaves the outlet continuously as long as thecompafrtments are kept enea, than Siniesaovf, afsiirt'iiaing into ythe wellA of, a quicklyr rotating elevator arranged parallel to and slightly wider than fthe outlet of the hopper. i The chains ofthe ,elevator arefprovided at'regul'araiid equal "l intervals with horizontal n rodsy fitting in length to the well, andeach carrying rigidly aftlxed thereto one bucketor a smallnumber of buckets'allof whichare off the sameQsize elevator wellso that duiinghltthetime, in

lift from thelatterA the various materials in the saine proportion as vthey'fent'ered the same, andfalso inl a, quantity: equal,l to that which thev number gf bucketsfandjro'ds' necjessar'ytogldo so pass' through the'wfell, they and shape ,for the same elevator.` These ,buckets are arranged stepwise atjpconseeutive rods so as to' cover the wholewidth of the :If only one bucket is ailiXednto afrod, the

.number of stepwise arranged bucketsjfnecy -lessary Vforcovering thel width 'oftheywelh Twill require an .'equal number ofconsecutive rods, and, if'several buckets are lattachedV to one rod', they must be evenly in equal distances, distributedv` along. the same," and the number of 'consecutiveA rod's, necessaryfor the buckets attached thereto'eXtending-alongfl `the whole length of the well will'be equal to the number vof the rods necessary, if only one "bucket 'were' attached Vto each, divided by the number of the` bucketsfactually attache'dito elevator must alwaysbe ainultiple of the `number of those 'necessarfforthe buckets attached thereto to'cover t e whole width of the well. It has beenproved to beofY advantage that the .bucketsv arranged inqthis j manner at a consecutive row of rods slightly overlap each other. The materials -raisedby 4,one rod.V `The total number-of rods for this 'l' preferably provided with Ibaffles or similar means 'for attaining adispersion and intermingling of the materials entering the same;

a screw eonveyerl or similar device carries' then the mass thus correctly proportioned,

and mixed to its destination, usually a sitterf or biny arranged on the same' iioor. y

`The accompanying ydrawings serve for further explaining myzinventionj-j t FigureV 1 is a sectional kelevation of the proportioning device, the elevator and the4 relevator' passing upward as at the right side yof the same in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section on the line 4 4 OfFig. 1,A showing espeeially'the arrangements for regulating the position of vthe Vpartition walls for preportioning the various materials, the receiving hopper with baille plates and screw conveyer andthe arrangement of the gearing for driving the hopper rollers and the elevator.

F ig. 5 gives a side view of the apparatus, Vshowing the driving gear, on the front side in dark land on the back side in dotted lines, and the adjusting arrangementfor the s hutter of the proportioning hopper; and Fig. G is an enlarged representation of this adjusting device.

wood and provided at their ends with coaxial iron shafts revolubly supported in bearings fitted in the walls 5 and 6, the wall y5 carrying the shaftsfll and the wall 6 the shafts Y12,. The axes common to these shafts land to the rollers 7 lie in the same even planel which is either horizontal or very slightly V.declining toward the outlet 9. The partition walls 8 are usually made of strong iron plate, Vfollow the outlines of the side walls4 and of the top of the rollers 7, are arranged parallel to the walls and 6 and slidably supported by the two` rods 13 vertically fixed to these walls. Each partition wall 8 is fitted with two. flanges 14 tightly sliding on the rods 13 and arranged so. as to keep it valways, parallel to the walls. 5y and 6; after having been adjusted according to requirements, the walls 8 are fixed to the rods 1 3 by means of the screwbolts 15. A suitable scale 16 is provided just above the hopper for facilitating the exact adjustment of the walls .8. For making the deliveryeven all alongthe width ot" the outlet opening 9, the lower edge ofthe shutter 10 must be exactly parallel to the top of the roller 7 above which it is situated; in order to retain the shutter in this position during adjustment and for making the latterV as line as possible, a special gear is provided; to the upper end of the shutter 10 two short rods 17 are, fixed, protruding over the walls 5 and 6 and having screw threaded openings meshing with the screw pins 18 revolubly mounted in the brackets 19 and 2O fixed to supports 21 arranged at the machine.; the upper ends of the pins 18 are fitted with the bevel-wheels 22 meshing with the bevel wheels 23 fixed to the shaft'24 revolving' in bearings arranged on the supports 21 and worked by means ofthe handwheel 25.

The five partition walls 8 provide 6 separate chambers in the hopper 1 so that six different powders .may be proportioned therein. After adjusting and fixing the wall 8 and the shutter 10, the chambers are filled and the rollers 7 slowly rotated in the Ydirection of the outlet 9; the materials duly proportioned will then fiow in an even and regular stream from over the last roller 7 down the `incline 26 into the well 27 of the elevator 2. `V Y Y The elevator 2 comprises thetwo upper andl large-r sprocket wheels 28 fixed to the shaft 2,9,V the two` lower and smaller sprocket wheels 30 fixed to the shaft 31, the two chains 32 running over these sprocket wheels, twenty rods 33 horizontally Vaihxed tothe chains32 and forty buckets 34, two attached to each rod 33. The shafts 29 and 31 are rotatably supported by bearings arranged in the housing 35 of the elevator 2 and placed so that the upward moving half' ofthe chains 32 is vertical and farthest away from Vthe receiving hopper 3, while the downward traveling half is slanti-ng away Vfrom the latter in such a manner that the upmost buckets, when turning downward with their rod on the wheels 28, are ready to drop their contentsl across the edge .of the wall 36, situ- Yated between the elevator 2 and the hopper length of a rod 3,3 and thus of the well 27,

while slightly overlapping .each other.; five rods 33,y `each having two buckets..v attached thereto, are, therefore necessary to do the same.l The back wall 3.7 of the hopper 3-opposite t0 the wall 3(5is vertical,fand the side Walls 38 are slanting downward toa small half circular well 39 in which the screw conveyer 40 rotates, carrying the finished mass away from the machine; baffles 41 serve to intermingle the materials on their passage down from thebuckets into the. hopper 3. 'liheelevator2 and therollers 7 rotate in opposite direction to each other. The shaftv 2 9, the driving shaft of the elevator 2, is `rotated by means of Vthe kpower pulley 42 fixed thereto; on its opposite end the shaft 29 carries thev small gear wheel 43 meshing with the comparatively veryV large gear wheel 44 mounted on the countershaft Lass-,res

45; the latter is supported by bearings arranged in the sides of the housing-'35 and carries at one end the sprocket v'vheel .46 driving by means Vof the chain 47' the sprocket Wheel v48, and at its otherend the sprocket Wheel 49 driving by means of the chain 50, l the sprocket kWheel. 51. The sprocket Wheel 4 8 is iixed to the shaft' 11 of the last roller '7 situated' underneath theout- `let 9 to the same shaft the-sprocket'vvheel 52 is attached, driving byJ means of' the continuous chain 53 thethree sprocketl Wheels 54 of equal diameter fixed to. theshafts 1l of the three lalternately following roller-S57,

the sprocket Wheel 51 is mounted on the Ashaft 12 of the last lbut one. roller -7 and drives by means of the sprocket Wheel 551attached to the same shaft andthe chain 5,6 the three sprocket Wheels 5f? ofl equal diam.L etermounted on the shafts 12 of the lthree alternately following rollers 7. In the machine shown Vthe shaft of lthe elevatorv y2 makes 10 revolutions inthe same time-in which the rollers make only one. 1 Iclairn; l Y 1.- In a machine for the purpose described, incombination a Wide hopper,fro tatable parallel rollers having approximately the same diameterand forming the bottom of the saidhopper, partition ivalls arranged vertically to the said rollers-so as vto form with the side Walls of the' said hopper as many compartments asthere are different materials to'be proportioned, .means for adjusting the said partition Walls sidevWise so as to regulate the'sizeofthe said compartments, an outlet for the proportioned materials Varranged closely above the last of the said rollers'and extending along its Whole length, means-for rotating all the said rollersV at the same time with equal :celerity and in the direction of the said outlet, and means for mixing'the proportioned materials leavingl the latter.

v2. In a machine for the purposel described, in combination aWide hopper,"ad justable partition Walls arranged therein, a conveying device forming lthe bottom of the said hopper, an outlet arranged in the latter closely above and having the same Width as the saidconveying device, means fory mov- Ving thevlatter in the direction of the Asaid outlet, a Well adapted to receive the broad stream of materials coming from the said outlet, a bucket elevator the buckets of vvhlch are arranged stepwise thereon sofas to remove successively and in regular intervals the consecutive portions of Vthe materials in the well from one end of the samev to the other, and means for working the elevator in accordance with the quantity of materials delivered into the said Well by the said conveying device. i

3. In a machine for the purpose described, in combination a Wide and low hoping the, bottom of the said hopper and and meansV for' Working the saidl elevator sof per havin vfour sides, two vertically larranged anv parallel to eachother, and two connecting theiirstftvvo and sloping 1n the same direction, a plurality yof rollers formplaced with their axes vertically vto the verticalsides .of .the saidhopper and 1none planeadjustable partition Walls` arranged in vthelsaid hopperparallel `to its vertical sides and following 'inwontline itsslo'ping sides and the top of the said rollers, Ian outlet for the. said hopper cutout of that of kits sides sloping out from over the last roller and just above and in the Whole length of the latter, an adjustable shutter adapted to regulate the height 'ofthe said outlet parallel to the said last-roller, and means for slowly rotatingv the saidrollers all at the "same time and .at the same speed.

4. In' a Jmachine' for' the :purpc, se de scribed, in combination a `-vvidel and'lovv-"hopper, a plurality of parallel rollers forming the bottomof'the said hopper, an adjustable outlet for the materialsffrom thev said lio-pf per, situated above'and parallelwto therla'st of thesaid rollers, adjustable parallel partitionvvalls arranged the said hopperyvertically' to the said outlet, means'for-slovvly rotating all they said-rollers 4at the same time, a Well having the same v'vifdthas theY said outlet, an incline connecting'theformer with the latter, an' elevator havingthe same Width as ythe sa-idfyvell and raiSingsucceS- sively and 1n regular intervals fromeach i portion of the same thematerials in thejsame `proportionV as they leave 4the said outlet, and

means for quickly rotatingthe .Said elevada-,11.

5' In a mach''nff'for the purpose V'described, ,in combination an oblongv rectanguv lar hopper, adjustable partition Walls'parallel to the two shorter side Walls-of-the'sa'id hopper, a conveying device form-ing ythe -bottom of the saidf hopper, any "outlet arrangedin one of the longerside Walls of the said'hopper closely above and parallel to the said conveyingdevice and extending along its Whole width, means for moving the said conveying device in the direction ofthe said outlet, ai well' arranged underneath thesaid outlet and in its Whole Width, a bucket elevator the buckets of Which are attached steptvise f to rods, iXed at regular intervals to the ele- `vator chains parallel to the said .-Well, and

so adapted and arranged that the buckets attached to a number of consecutive rods ex#` tend-combined sideWise-across` the Whole Widthof thevvell, this number being equal throughout'theelevator, and the totall numberVV of rods en iploye'dv being a multiple thereof,

ing an outlet delivering the materials proportioned therein in a broad and low stream, of a well of the same width for re- Vof the said well and fixed crosswise at equal intervals to the said two chains, andv of buckets of equal shape and capacity rigidly fixed with their longest side to the said rods,

`a small number at regular intervals to each rod, and arranged stepwise and evenly at a consecutive number of the same so as to cover the whole width of the said well as many times as there are buckets on each of the said rods, the total ynumber of the latter employed in the said elevator being a multiple of the said number ofconsecutive rods. Y

, 7. Iln a machine for the purpose described, the combination with a hopper having an outlet deliveringL the proportioned materials in a broad andlow stream, of a well of the saine width forreceiving the said stream, of ari/elevator comprising an upper rotary shaft carrying two larger sprocket wheels, a lowerr'otai'y shaft carrying two smaller sprocket wheels in line with the larger ones and two continuous chains meshing with and running over the said `sprocket wheels, of rods correspondingin length to the width ofthe said welland fixed crosswise at equal intervals to the `,said

two chains, of buckets of equal shape and with their Y longest side and at equal intervals to a concapacity attached ,stepwise secutive number of the said rods in such a manner as to cover the whole width vof the said well, thetotal numberrof the said rods y n bucketsof equal shape and capacity fixed used in the saidelevator being a multiple of the number necessary for the latter purpose, of a hopper wide at the top and'nar- Vrow at the bottom, so adapted and arranged at the elevator as to collect the materials successively dropping from the` buckets when entering on their downward passage, of baiiies arranged in the last named hopper, and of a screw conveyer removing its contents from its lower end.`

SQIn a machine for the purpose described, in combination, a hopper, partition walls therein, a conveying device forming: the bottom of the said hopper, an outlet arranged closely above and parallel to the` said conveying devicel and extending in its whole width, means for moving the conveying device in the direction of the said out- A let, a well corresponding in width to the latter and adapted tol receive the stream of materials leaving the same, a bucket eleva-- tor havingthe saine' width as the said well, its buckets being arranged stepwise thereon so as to raise successively and in regular intervals the materialsdelivered by the said conveying device into the said well in consecutive portions from one lend of the lat-- vter to the other, means for working thei -said elevator'to suitthe quantity of materials in the saidV well, a hopper arranged alongside the said bucket elevator and so adapted and arranged as to receive the materials raised by the said elevator, a mixing device arranged in the last named hopper, and means-for conveying the material from the latter to their destination.

, 9. A machine for the purpose described,

comprising afwide and broad hopper, a plu.

rality ofparallel rollers forming the bottom ofthe said hopper, adjustable partition walls parallel to each other and vertical to the said rollers,` an outlet :for the. materials proportioned in the saidvhopp'er,` situatedv above and parallel to the last of the Asaid rollers and of; the saine width asfthe latter, an, *adjustableV shutter adapted to regulate the height of the said outlet parall.leltotheisaid last. roller, a well having the`v` same width as the said outlet and adjacent to and connected with-the sameiby a short `incline,two;rotaryy shafts, an upper and a lower onearranged abovethesaid well, two Alargersprocket wheels :mounted on the upper shaft, .two smal-ler .i sprocket wheels mounted on the lowerk shaft, vboth kinds being inline with eachother, two continuous chains meshing withv and ,running overy the said sprocket, wheels, rods vcorrespending in. length tothe said well.- and fixed crosswise atcequalintervals 5to the. said chains', of

stepwise to a consecutive `number of the said rods in such a manner as'to cover the whole width of the saidwell, the total number of thel said rods used onthe said chainsv being a multiple of thenumber necessary for this purpose, and thesaid sprocket wheels, chains, rods and buckets beingV arranged so that ,they raise the proportioned materials from `the said well and drop them infquick suc cession into a separate and adjacent hopper,

Vand `of driving gear adapted to drive the said rollers slowly in the direction of the said outlet ofthe proportioning hopper and the said chains with their,l rods and buckets quickly away from this outlet.

EUGENE elisir. 

